Sunny Days
by XinconceivableX
Summary: Deleted scene from Magic That Binds. Hermione and Fera relax and enjoy the sun for the first time in a long time.


**So this was originally supposed to be in chapter 15 of my story _Magic That Binds_ , but it was already long enough and it kind didn't flow right. However, it ties back to the last conversation that Hermione has with Fera, as she says goodbye. Hermione makes a comment about her 'dinky little toy wands' and this is what she was referring to. **

**It's short, but hope you like the little bonus anyway :)**

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(Deleted Scene, taken from chapter 15)

"Perfect." Hermione breathed in lungful of fresh air. Above her the sun shone brightly, welcoming her with an over due hello. _God, I've missed you, sun._ She had nearly forgotten how great the sun was, how wonderfully it's bright light could shine, how gorgeous a clear blue sky could be.

Two years she had been without the sun. Two years she had been stuck with that artificial teal travesty, and now…Her head raised to soak up the warm rays that were kissing her cheeks. A laugh bubbled in her throat.

"Beautiful weather, isn't it?" she breathed, her smile just as bright as the light hanging above them.

"Why are we doing this again?" her companion asked, looking at the small scrap of blue fabric that had been created for her. "And what am I supposed to do with these underthings?"

Hermione's hand came up to smother a laugh. "That isn't underwear, Fera. It's a swimsuit. Look, I even made it blue, your favorite color."

"Excuse me?" Fera sputtered. With her fore finger and thumb she pinched the bottom half of the suit carefully, waving it at Hermione. "This is not a swimsuit, my dear. Swimsuits have shorts, sleeves, cloth that covers your stomach─THIS is a handkerchief."

 _You'd think I was asking her to wear a cactus_. Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's a modern swimsuit. That's how they look. Besides, you wouldn't be able to sunbathe dressed as a nun. Now, would you please get dressed already?"

Throwing off her robes to reveal her own bathing suit, a two-piece purple bikini, Hermione boldly made her way down to the shore of the Black Lake. Had she been back in her world, she probably would never have the confidence to strut around in the revealing outfit, where anyone could see her, but fortunately, here the two women had complete privacy. On the, thankfully, empty shoreline, Hermione wasn't feeling self-conscious showing off so much skin…Or well, she wasn't as self-conscious as she would be back home. And at least she was faring better than Fera, who was still glaring at her from the castle.

Besides the need to soak up as many UVs as possible overrode her inherent modesty. Sod reservations! For the first time since she became trapped in this book, she was going to get a tan!

With a swish of her wand, she transfigured two sticks into a lounge chair and a pair of sunglasses. She plopped onto the plastic chair, slipped her sunglasses on and relaxed into the seat with a happy sigh. Her wand moved again over her skin, covering it with a protection charm to guard it from sunburn.

"Come on, Fera! It's just us. No one else will see you in such scandalous clothes!" Hermione called back to the blonde witch, smiling to herself when she finally heard the crunch of feet pressing into the lake's rocky sand coming up behind her.

There was a shift of magical energy in the air and Hermione knew that Fera had replicated a lounge chair for herself. "Glad you decided to come out. It would be a shame to waste so much sun," she quipped, tilting up her sunglasses to watch her friend fluster her way onto her chair. "And look at you! Who knew you were such a fox under all those robes," she finished playfully.

The look Fera sent her was full of so much condescending exasperation that, had Hermione been a wide-eyed firstie, she probably would have muttered her apologies and slunk off with her tail between her legs. Luckily, she had grown an immunity to Fera's stern glares and merely winked at the older woman in response.

Defiantly, Fera crossed her arms, her nose turned up. "I still do not understand why you have dragged me out here, dressed as a harlot, no less. I should be in my laboratory, perfecting my potion."

"No, you need to take a break, and clear your mind. Look─" Hermione waved her wand towards the other witch, absentmindedly coating her with the Sun Protection charm as well "─just sit back and take in the sun."

"I would be amiable to taking your advice, if I did not know that 'relaxing' is hardly your forte."

Hermione felt her cheeks heat. She couldn't deny the truth of Fera's words. She was just as single-minded, and determined when it came to her own studies. Like Fera, she could be found pouring over books at all hours of the night, sometimes even staying up to study into the morning. "Yes," she admitted, "that's true…which is why I'm out here too, instead of inside."

Fera huffed. "Fine, what am I meant to do then?"

"Really? Just relax, I guess." Hermione pulled a book from her bag, waving it at the other woman. "I brought a book to help me unwind."

Said book was pulled from her fingers before she could blink. "Hey!"

Fera looked over the title, before dropping the book and staring at Hermione with a raised brow. "Dear girl, this is one of the books that I referenced in my research journal."

With a quick snatch, Hermione was once more holding her book, bringing it to her chest protectively. "Alright, so I haven't totally stopped working, but I'm outside wearing a bikini, for goodness sake. Give me a break!"

"Hypocrite."

"Only a little. This is the kind of book I would read for leisure anyway. So it's more practical, you know, hitting two birds with one stone," Hermione defended herself.

"Hmph. Fine, fine. Be 'practical' and I shall endeavor to…relax as well," Fera conceded. Muttering to herself, she searched the ground, until she finally grabbed a firm stick. Reaching into her discarded robes, she retrieved a small pocket-knife and began whittling away at the piece of wood.

Watching, but not understanding what her mentor was trying to do, Hermione asked her, "What are you doing?"

Fera didn't pause in her carving as she replied, "I am making a wand. If you are forcing me outside, then I want to at least be productive while I'm here." Slivered bits of wood, fell to the ground.

"Oh. I didn't know you carved fake wands as a hobby," Hermione remarked.

"It is not a hobby. I find myself in need of a new wand, since my last one was snapped by those deplorable beasts."

"But, why make another one? It's not like it would work."

"Not as well as yours no, but when I add the Dittany Stalk as a core, it will suffice. In fact, I'll wager that this will be my best one yet."

Jaw dropped, Hermione stared at the other witch incredulously. "Do you mean to tell me, that you can create real magic wands, like working wands?"

Fera paused in her whittling, her brows pulling forward in confusion. "That is what I just said, is it not? I apologize. Did you not just hear me the first time?"

"No, I heard you. It's believing you that's the problem," Hermione muttered, feeling completely blindsided by this new information. Somehow she doubted that the wand making process was as easy as Fera was suggesting, but the older witch had an ability to make a lot of things look deceptively easy.

Fera's head tilted to the side. "How so?" she asked. "You witnessed me using one of my wands on many occasions."

"Yes, but I thought it was a normal wand. You know the one before you were brought here," Hermione admitted.

"Truly?" A laugh full of honest mirth left Fera's lips. "My dear, my father would hardly be enough of a gentleman to allow me to keep my wand after he kidnapped me. In fact, if I remember correctly, he snapped it in half all those years ago…after my refusal." Her smile disappeared and she got a far-away look on her face as her memories resurfaced.

A slightly morose silence settled between them at the reminder of Colten's betrayal, and Hermione mentally cursed her thoughtless words. Of course Colten Rossier would have gotten rid of his daughter's wand─the rotten man. If he was willing to imprison his own flesh and blood within a Dark Arts relic, just because she wouldn't help him destroy the Muggle World, then he would hardly have any qualms with destroying her only means of defense.

She chewed her lip as she tried to think of a way to lighten the mood once more. Today was supposed to be a good day. A day for celebration, to relish in their success of getting one step closer to escaping this jail. Fera especially needed this, though she tried to deny it. Hermione knew that Fera wasn't as blasé about the sun's appearance as she made out to be. After centuries of darkness, who would be?

She came to a snap decision, and throwing her book back into her bag, she jumped up. "Come on," she said to Fera, "let's go swimming!"

Clear blue eyes blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I said, 'let's go swimming!'" Hermione replied, smiling down at Fera. When the older witch made no move to get up, she grabbed her hand. "Come on!"

"Why in Merlin's name would I want to go swimming? Is it not enough that you have me out here, gallivanting about naked?"

"Who cares if your naked and it'll be fun. WE'LL have fun," Hermione assured her, pulling the blonde witch to her feet and towards the lake.

"Somehow, I doubt that─wha─" she sputtered, her words drowning under the wave of water that Hermione had magically sent her way. Pushed under the sudden force, that she was completely unprepared for, Fera fell back, her arms wheeling widely as she tried and failed to fight gravity.

The blinde made quite a sight, sitting on the lake floor, just her shoulders and head peaking above the surface, her hair darkened and flattened to her skull, in wet clumps. The glare she sent the Gryffindor would have been frightening if she didn't resemble a drowned cat so well. Hermione half expected her to cough up a furball. A chuckle slipped from her mouth, unbidden.

"Oh little bat, I do believe you have just made an erroneous mistake," Fera threatened. An enormous wall of water was silently rising behind her, cutting off of Hermione's laughter. With wide eyes, the brunette slowly backed up, watching the liquid wall with awe.

A smug grin, lifted the corners of Fera's mouth. "Fly little bat. Fly."

Needing no further warning, Hermione dove under the water, casting a Bubble Head Charm as she went.

The game was on.

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 **A/N: And that's it! Hope you enjoyed it and understood the conversation a little better. This is only one of many deleted scenes that I have slowly piling up, so I might one day get to posting those too. (also the next chapter to _Magic_ is up!)**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **XinconceivableX**


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